St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Bradon Looper flips the baseball after giving up a two run home run in the fourth inning to Cincinnati Reds Joey Votto at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on September 26, 2008. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

Joseph Daniel Votto (born September 10, 1983) is a Canadian Major League Baseball first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds. He is the 2010 NL MVP and came within one vote of winning unanimously.

Drafted out of high school (Richview Collegiate Institute) in the second round of the 2002 MLB amateur draft by the Reds (44th overall), Votto's first few professional seasons with the Reds' rookie-level affiliates were quiet. However, Votto burst onto the scene in 2004, when he hit 26 doubles, 14 home runs, and sported a batting average of .302 with the Class A Dayton Dragons. He was promoted to Class A Advanced Potomac, and hit five more home runs in 20 games to end the season with 19.

However, during Votto's 2005 campaign with Sarasota, his consistency declined. While he still hit 19 home runs, Votto struck out 122 times and his batting average dropped nearly 50 points to .256.

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